Analysis of A Sculptor

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919



As the ambitious sculptor, tireless, lifts
Chisel and hammer to the block at hand,
Before my half-formed character I stand
And ply the shining tools of mental gifts.
I'll cut away a huge, unsightly side
Of selfishness, and smooth to curves of grace
The angles of ill-temper.
And no trace
Shall my sure hammer leave of silly pride.
Chip after chip must fall from vain desires,
And the sharp corners of my discontent
Be rounded into symmetry, and lent
Great harmony by faith that never tires.
Unfinished still, I must toil on and on,
Till the pale critic, Death, shall say, ''Tis done.'


Scheme ABBACDEDCFGGFHI
Poetic Form Tetractys  (27%)
Metre 10010101001 1001010111 0111110011 0101011101 1101010101 1100011111 0101110 011 1111011101 11011111010 0011011001 1100110001 11001111010 0101111101 1011011111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 578
Words 106
Sentences 6
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 15
Lines Amount 15
Letters per line (avg) 31
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 459
Words per stanza (avg) 103
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 25, 2023

31 sec read
164

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. more…

All Ella Wheeler Wilcox poems | Ella Wheeler Wilcox Books

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